Gone Awry
by flowerofsin
Summary: Warnings for the effects of Fornicarás. Tousen is an unwitting participant in one of Szayel's experiments.


Title: Gone Awry

Fandom: Bleach

Characters: Szayel & Tousen, others of the Las Noches crowd

Prompt: 044 - Experiment

Word Count: 1,654

Rating: PG

Summary: Warnings for the effects of Fornicarás. Tousen is an unwitting participant in one of Szayel's experiments.

Disclaimer: Kubo Tite owns Bleach. I just play with his characters off and on.

Gazing at the flask of deep red fluid, Szayel jotted down notes in his journal before turning toward the computer nearby to examine other data. He frowned. The test results weren't what he'd hoped for, but with some alterations, he hoped that he would be able to salvage this particular project. Putting down his pen, the Espada moved toward the wall of shelves to retrieve a container.

"I brought these as you asked, Apollo-sama," Lumina informed him. The Fracción lumbered toward the table with a stack of notebooks, placing them heavily on the surface. The stack of books pushed the flask off balance as Lumina gasped.

Hearing the clinking of glass, Szayel turned just in time to see the flask of viscous liquid tip over onto the counter, some of the contents spilling forth. Darting over, he grasped the flask before all of it could vacate the glass. He frowned, the corner of his mouth pulling down as he watched the liquid move across the smooth surface at a slow crawl.

"You idiot!" he shouted as he rounded on his Fracción. "You almost ruined this completely!"

Lumina covered its head as if expecting a blow. "I'm so sorry, Apollo-sama."

Szayel sighed, turning his eyes to the container he held. "You're lucky that there's still enough here for me to continue," he informed the other arrancar. Shaking his head, he grabbed a cloth to clean up the mess, sliding the books out of the way.

Lumina watched the Espada begin to wipe the counter top. "Would you like me to help, Apollo-sama?"

Szayel's hand stilled as he uttered a put upon sigh. "Do I really need you destroying anything else in here?"

Sensing a familiar reitsu, the scientist turned toward the doorway, mildly surprised. Had he been so distracted that he hadn't noticed the shinigami's approach, or was the other man that skilled at hiding his reitsu? "Tousen-sama? What brings you here?"

"I've come to check on your progress, Szayel Apollo," Tousen informed him as he entered the room. "You are to give your results at the meeting this afternoon. I hope everything is proceeding according to schedule."

"Ah, of course," Szayel told him as he watched the shinigami approach. While that particular task wasn't finalized yet, he had enough data that he was sure Aizen would be pleased by his efforts.

"That's good to hear, Szayel," Tousen remarked. He turned his head slightly, picking up the bubbling of various liquids in their respective containers as well as assorted odors.

Pausing near the counter top as he heard Szayel rustle papers, Tousen placed his hand onto the surface, frowning at the sensation of something warm soaking into his leather glove. With a look of distaste he pulled his hand away from the sticky substance on the surface. He wasn't able to see the mild look of alarm on Szayel's face as he turned toward him.

"Do I even want to know what this is?" Tousen asked him as he turned his hand palm up and gazed down at it as though he could see the reddish substance on his glove that was now soaking into his skin.

"Ah, it's nothing to be concerned about, Tousen-sama," the Espada said as he handed Tousen a clean cloth. He eyed the shinigami as he wiped his glove clean, not noting any ill effects. It seems that things were as he'd feared. After the meeting, he would study the remaining substance to see where his experiment had gone wrong.

Late in the afternoon, Tousen made his way to the meeting area. He paused in the hallway, planting a hand against the wall for support as his other went to his belly, his stomach churning. It was odd that he was feeling ill when he'd been fine earlier in the day. Kaname sighed as the cramping passed, allowing him to continue on his way. The fact that shinigami were still subject to illness though not alive in the traditional sense of the word was often annoying.

Soon after the meeting commenced, Szayel turned on the projector in the center of the table, explaining the various images that flashed before the seated crowd. On either side of the doorway behind the seated Aizen stood Gin and Tousen. Kaname grimaced periodically during the meeting, reoccurring nausea afflicting him.

Gin eyed Tousen as he leaned heavily against the wall. "Hey, Tousen," he asked in a low voice so as not to interrupt Szayel's presentation. "Are you okay? You don't look so good."

"I'm fine, Gin," Tousen replied, trying to keep some of the strain out of his voice. He tried to pay attention to the Espada's presentation, but his head began to swim. The nausea and cramping in his gut increased. He couldn't imagine what he'd come down with.

A subsequent groan from Tousen caused most of the eyes at the table to turn in his direction. Kaname's hand went to his mouth as his stomach churned painfully.

"Hey, Tousen!" Gin said as he watched the other shinigami lurch forward and fall to his knees as he began to retch. "Pull yourself together."

Aizen rose from his seat, gazing over at Tousen as he sank to the floor, turning onto his side. "Kaname?"

Tousen pulled his knees toward his chest as he clutched at his belly. "Hurts," he managed to say before his body was wracked with more violent retching.

Recognizing the signs for what they were, Szayel uttered, "It worked after all," in a pleased voice.

Aizen glanced at him, raising his eyebrow. "What worked?"

"Well..." Szayel started to say, a nervous look on his face.

"Szayel," Kaname groaned as he rose up on all fours with effort, "If I don't die... I'm going to-" His voice cut off abruptly as he vomited on the floor. Some onlookers made a face as they noticed the red color.

There was a collective gasp as Tousen's abdomen seemed to expand before he vomited a large formless mass. It skidded along the bloodstained floor before coming to a halt a few feet away. Kaname panted as if out of breath, coughing as he collapsed to the floor exhausted. The mass wasn't formless for long. It began to take up a nude humanoid form as it sat on the floor, a form that was more than a little reminiscent of Szayel. Long pink hair hung down stringy and wet, tinged with blood and obscuring its face. Its bare arms hung limply at its sides. Head canted to one side, the arrancar gazed vacantly forward with amber eyes, opening its mouth as if to speak, but no sound to be heard.

Ulquiorra cast a look of disdain in its direction. "How disgusting."

"Explain yourself, Szayel Apollo," Aizen ordered smoothly.

"You see, I was working on improving certain aspects of my release form. If necessary I can reform myself after damaging attack by being 'born' from an enemy. Tousen sama was exposed to it – accidentally of course," he added. "It seems to work best in females which is too limiting and why I was trying to augment it. When Tousen-sama was unaffected initially, I thought I'd failed, but apparently there is a delayed response in males."

"I see," Tousen said in a strained voice as he gained his footing. He swayed on his feet before he steadied himself, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth with his glove. "You suspected what could happen, yet didn't inform me of it. I'm far from pleased at being a test subject in one of your projects."

Hearing the dangerous tone in the shinigami's voice, Szayel tried to placate him. "As I said, Tousen-sama, it wasn't intentional and when there was no effect, I didn't expect that-"

"You were taking advantage of an opportunity that presented itself," Kaname stated as he approached, at first unsteadily but his steps growing more sure. "Don't pretend that it was otherwise." His hand moved to Susumushi's hilt.

"T-Tousen-sama," Szayel said, his voice almost pleading as he backed up. The other Espada nearby edged away as the shinigami approached.

Feeling a tug at his garment, Tousen frowned, casting his eyes downward in the direction of Szayel's copy. When it raised its head, Kaname could feel the weight of its stare upon him. It made a sound akin to a moan as it tugged again. Tousen's frown deepened, but for a reason he couldn't explain, his hand slid from his sword.

"What are you going to do with it?" Kaname asked after a few moments, his unseeing gaze still turned toward the arrancar who looked up into his pearly eyes.

"Well, it served its purpose," Szayel said in a thoughtful voice, "There really isn't any need to keep it for much longer. I'll study it to make sure it's a reasonable copy before I dispose of it."

"Dispose of it?" Tousen echoed. He stiffened as the arrancar drew closer to him to spoon against his leg, its hand fisting tightly in white fabric.

"Of course," Szayel said in a tone that said he thought this was the obvious answer. "Without my consciousness within it, it's basically a doll."

"Perhaps... perhaps we should keep it," Kaname said as it wound an arm around his leg. "It might serve a better purpose than as a subject of dissection."

Grimmjow made a dismissive sound. "One of Szayel is enough running around here. We don't need two," he remarked, making Nnoitra chuckle.

Aizen reclaimed his seat, leaning his chin against his hand in thought. "Kaname might have a point. You are the Octava Espada after all. Let's see what abilities this arrancar has before we discard it."

The arrancar near Tousen's feet leaned heavily against him as it sidled closer. It buried its face in stained white cloth as the corners of its mouth turned up into a faint smile.

End


End file.
